Broncos Film Room: Can Tyler Onyedim be the next John Franklin-Myers

6 hours ago

The Denver Broncos made their first pick of the 2026 NFL Draft on Friday, trading down from pick 62 to pick 66 and snagging Texas A&M defensive lineman Tyler Onyedim.

“It’s always hard to find defensive tackles,” Broncos head coach Sean Payton said after making the pick. “His strike, his shed. But it was the athlete, make up. Those were the traits.”

It may not seem hard to find defensive tackles—a dozen or more solid options are still on the board—the tricky part is finding one who fits the Broncos’ mold. Denver doesn’t employ 330-pound space eaters. The Broncos defense led by coordinator Vance Joseph wants lineman who can shoot gaps and make plays in the backfield. They aren’t looking for cinder blocks who hold their ground; they want explosive playmakers.

Those are the linemen who are tough to find… which is why losing John Franklin-Myers in free agency stung, and why adding a prospect like Onyedim makes a lot of sense.

We’ll dig more into how exactly Onyedim fits into the defense—he isn’t a one-for-one replacement for Franklin-Myers—but let’s start by taking a look at the measurables, and compare them to Franklin-Myers for some context.

	Tyler Onyedim	John Franklin-Myers
Height	6′ 3 1/2″	6′ 3 7/8″
Weight	292 lbs	283 lbs
Arm Length	34 1/8″	32 7/8 “
Bench Press	24 reps	26 reps
40-Yard Dash	5.07 seconds	4.75 seconds
10-yard Split	1.69 seconds	1.66 seconds
Vertical Jump	32″	33″
Broad Jump	9′ 3″	9′ 5″
3-Cone Drill	7.96 seconds	7.36 seconds
20-Yard Shuttle	4.65 seconds	4.48 seconds

Franklin-Myers’ athletic testing was a tick better than Onyedim’s across the board. Onyedim is 10 pounds heavier, which explains some of that gap. Onyedim also has longer arms.

And that’s where we’re going to start.

I pulled clips primarily from two games. The first is the game against Texas, which may have been Onyedim’s most impressive performance of the season. The second is the College Football Playoff game against Miami, which displayed some of his weaknesses.

I patched things together with some clips from other games when there were better examples of his strengths and weaknesses.

Like this example of Onyedim using his length to disrupt a play…

(Onyedim wears No. 11.)

Why are long arms important for a defensive lineman? Because if your arms are longer than your opponents’ arms, you can touch him but he can’t touch you. The clip above is a perfect example.

Onyedim is at his best when he gets to use his length. His straight arm is awesome. If he gets his hand into an opponent’s chest, he almost always finds a way to win the play.

Watch him extend his right arm into the guard’s chest, which gives him control of the battle. He can easily cut off the runner and make the tackle with his free hand.

Length is important to making the straight arm work. The other key is upper-body strength, which Onyedim has plenty of. He’s massive in the shoulders and the chest, which allows him to rip opponents off of him.